Remember, how you felt scared and nervous for your first day of school? Starting a job and joining a new workplace isn’t much different. However, unlike preschool, new employees can’t take their sweet time to adjust to a new environment. That’s why it’s crucial for organizations to invest in a robust onboarding process.
Undermining employee onboarding processes often results in a lack of employee engagement, lost productivity and a higher turnover rate. Hiring employees is time-intensive and costly, and the absence of an effective onboarding process will jeopardize that.
Are new employees feeling disconnected from the organization? Why are new hires quitting within the first 12 months?
These are a few signs highlighting the need to improve your current employee onboarding process. And here are a few ways to achieve that.
Starting prior to the first festival
The first day of work can be quite nerve-wracking, even for a confident person. Put new hires at ease by starting the onboarding process prior to their first day.
For example, you can provide information such as the office dress code and the best way to reach the premises. These details will help dissipate stress associated with the first day of work.
Explore e-learning for new employee onboarding
Unleashing a tonne of company information on the first day won’t have the effect you’re aiming for. Instead of getting new hires excited and motivated, it will just end up overwhelming them.
Modern problems require modern solutions and eLearning tools for new employee onboarding offer exactly that. In addition to simplifying tedious paperwork, these tools are useful for creating an interactive and well-paced onboarding process.
For example, if a new employee is introduced to several team members in a span of a few minutes, he/she is unlikely to remember their names or roles. This can make new hires reluctant to ask for help or even interact.
With gamification, an interactive card inspired course with employees’ profiles can be designed. New hires can review this course as many times as required and easily recollect information.
Focus on proper orientation
It’s a common misconception that orientation and onboarding are the same things. However, proper orientation is essential for setting grounds for the onboarding process.
A well-rounded orientation should include a tour of the business premises, access to an email address or any other relevant technology, an introduction to company culture and etiquette, and an overview of the company’s goals.
It’s best to quickly complete administrative tasks such as filing paperwork. An employee shouldn’t spend the entire orientation filling out paperwork. Modern technology has made it possible to streamline administrative tasks and automate manual processes.
Tailor the process
Each employee is different and is hired for a different role. So why should they have a generic onboarding process? It’s best to tailor the onboarding process to an employee’s specific job role, strengths, challenges, and so on.
Doing so will help new hires gain a better understanding of their roles and improve productivity.
Take a social approach
The inability to engage and connect with fellow employees is one of the biggest challenges new hires face. They don’t have to become instant best friends, but there needs to be a comfort level to inspire teamwork and collaborations.
Something as simple as taking out new hires along with their teams for lunch is an excellent way to break the ice. This will help them get to know each other and gain a sense of belongingness.
Final Words
No one gets a second chance to make the first impression. A well-planned and executed onboarding process is an undeniable tool for retaining new hires, inspiring employee productivity and boosting confidence. Hopefully, the aforementioned tips help you improve an outdated employee onboarding process.
